Washington’s policy-making debate is often a tangle of jargon, hyperbole, shape-shifting rhetoric and outright lies. All that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the average concerned citizen to understand what is going on.

And that makes the most recent report on the financial status of Social Security refreshing … and deeply disturbing.

The annual report by the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Trust Funds issued earlier this month is a fact-based finding and easy-to-follow explanation that should concern all Americans.

In a letter to Congress, the fund trustees say the following: “The reserves expressed as a percentage of the annual program cost of the OASI Trust Fund are projected to fall below 20 percent by the beginning of 2032.”

That means the surplus in the Trust Fund that is used to make up the difference when benefit payments exceed collected Social Security taxes will be exhausted.

When the fund is depleted in six years, Social Security will be able to pay only about 78 percent of the scheduled benefits.

This would be a financial gut punch for the nation’s 63 million retired workers, survivors and dependents, especially those living in West Virginia.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 22 percent of West Virginians receive Social Security, the second highest rate among all states. If nothing is done, the average retiree’s monthly cut will be $480.

That would be devastating for seniors for whom that monthly check is essential.

There are solutions, but they are not easy. The options include allowing benefits to be reduced for everyone, scaling back benefits for higher-income individuals, increasing payroll tax rates, raising or removing the cap on income that is taxed for Social Security, or gradually raising the retirement age, to name a few.

There are proposals in Congress to fix Social Security, but so far none is gaining significant traction.

One is HR 9187, the Bipartisan Social Security Commission Act of 2026.

It would create a commission to study and recommend a package to then be sent to Congress for an up or down vote.

That would operate like the military base commission, which gives our politicians some cover on a tough vote.

Another more controversial plan, the Cassidy-Kaine bill, would authorize the government to borrow $1.5 trillion over five years, invest the money in the stock market, and use the anticipated growth to help fund Social Security.

The Trustees suggest in their letter to Congress that “lawmakers quickly enact legislation to make the necessary adjustments for the OASI program.”

The words “quickly enact” stand out here.

The problem does need solved soon, but Congress frequently operates at a glacial pace — if they act at all — on issues they know are going to be unpopular with a large chunk of voters.

But as the annual Trustees Report states clearly that it is fulfilling its obligation to provide the Congress with “reasonable advance notice and time for prudent action.” Now it is time for our elected representatives to take that action before it is too late.